Have I missed something - do you always have to use the personal pronoun (eles etc) or can't you simply use the verb as in Spanish and say "comem a comida" or whichever word you choose for meal?
In response to the question mark all correct from English "They eat the meal" I ticked "Eles comem a refeicao" and was marked wrong for not also ticking "Elas comem a comida" which I believed meant "food" as opposed to meal.